5 Reasons Life Is Better For Cat People

In the age-old battle between cat lovers and dog lovers, there
may never be a clear winner.

Science demonstrates that both cats and dogs can provide health
and social benefits to humans – and both cat owners and dog
owners are quick to tell you how much their preferred pet
improves their happiness and quality of life.

But science tells us there are some unique benefits that come
with cats. Here's some validation for the cat people out there:

1. Cat people are more intelligent than dog people.

Last year, researchers from Carroll University in Wisconsin
completed a study on the personality differences between people
who identified as "cat people" versus "dog people." One of the
study's most provocative findings was that
cat people scored higher on intelligence than dog people.

This doesn't mean that going out and getting a cat will magically
make you smarter. It simply suggests that the kind of people who
have personalities that are attracted to cats are more likely to
score higher on intelligence. This result could be related to the
study's other findings, which indicated that cat people are more
introverted, more open-minded, and more likely to be
nonconformists rather than rule-followers.

2. Cats have a smaller carbon footprint than dogs.

Budimir Jevtic/Shutterstock

In 2009,
The New Scientist reported on a new book by Robert and Brenda
Vale titled "Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable
Living," in which the authors estimated the carbon footprints of
a variety of popular household pets.

They argued that a medium-sized dog has a carbon
footprint twice that of your standard SUV, just
based on the amount of meat the dog would consume in an average
year. Meat requires a notoriously large amount of resources to
produce, including both land and energy.

Cats, being smaller and therefore eating less, have a carbon
footprint equal to a small Volkswagen, the authors argued — still
a hefty amount, but much better than that of your average dog.

It's true that cats can hurt the environment in other ways.
Recent research suggests that
outdoor cats kill billions of birds and other small animals
every year. But one could also argue that this is another reason
to adopt cats and get them off the street — provided you pledge
to keep them indoors.

Dogs smash their tongues into the water's surface with a force up
to eight times that of gravity, splashing and causing a mass. But
cats delicately dip their tongues into the water with a force up
to twice that of gravity, neatly pulling up a column of liquid to
swallow.

4. Owning a cat may reduce your risk of dying from a heart
attack.

Numerous studies have suggested that pets, including cats, dogs,
and other animals, are capable of reducing stress in their human
companions. In fact, pet therapy is now a popular treatment for
the sick and the elderly. Research has shown that both
cats and dogs can lower blood pressure in people suffering
from hypertension.

But while cats and dogs share all kinds of similar health
benefits for their humans, in this particular study dog owners
did not seem to enjoy the same benefit as cat owners.

5. Cats are cheaper than dogs.

According to
the ASPCA, owning a cat instead of a dog could save you a
minimum of $300 to $800 a year — probably more.

Dogs are bigger than cats, on average, and are likely to run up
higher food bills as a result. They also tend to require more
toys, supplies, and services than cats, including crates,
leashes, collars, and training classes. Routine veterinary
expenses tend to be higher for dogs than for cats.

And the ASPCA tally doesn't even factor in expenses such as
boarding or dog-walking when the pet owners are away, expenses
which are often bigger for dogs than for cats.